


You Taste Like Cold and Lonely Nights

by terramous



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:20:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terramous/pseuds/terramous
Summary: A Collection of Drabbles from prompts on tumblr!!
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 11
Kudos: 67
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand





	1. “i’ll walk it off” - paramedic!tk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll walk it off” ?? 👀 (i’ve been so good, please give me a short little fic 💕) - officerrxyes  
> paramedic!tk because i refuse to stop writing it and jamie enjoys it as much as i do 😘💕  
> [prompt list](https://terramous.tumblr.com/post/623673887118557184/whumpster-dumpster-denying-injuryillness)

TK’s hands followed Carlos’ every movement, hovering close to his skin but never making contact. He was close enough to make Carlos feel claustrophobic under his worried gaze. More often than not, Carlos noticed the way TK’s work attitude followed him even off-shift. 

If he even suspected that someone was hurt there he was, full paramedic-mode, ready to help. As much as Carlos enjoyed spending time with TK, there was still so much standing between him and TK’s feelings. It was always either the same persona as TK donned in the back of an ambulance or just a refusal to accept Carlos’ gestures that were anything but physical. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked. 

Carlos waved him off and pushed away TK’s arms. He didn’t need to be doted on, or hovered over. Even if he enjoyed TK’s attention and his mesmerising eyes that tried to decode every nuance of his being. “I’ll walk it off.”

But TK insisted on the proximity, curling his fingers around Carlos’ wrists and turning the firefighter to face him. “You’re limping. Let me take a look. Please.”

“It’s fine, TK, you don’t have to worry.”

TK didn’t look convinced. “I don’t trust that you’d ever be honest with me about how badly you’re hurt. Just, for my peace of mind, let me check it out.”

“I’ll text you later if it doesn’t get better. You’re a good paramedic, and I trust your opinion, but I’m fine.“

“Look, I know we haven’t done a lot of talking lately. And I don’t really know what to call this thing we have, but all I know is that the fall you took looked like it hurt and I’d feel better if you let me make sure you’re okay,” TK’s spiel tapered off to a near whisper, as if saying the words any louder would set their secrets free. There was no one who cared enough to overhear them, but there was a certain intimacy to the gesture that made Carlos savour every emotion that flickered over TK’s expression.

Carlos could never say no to TK. At least not for long enough to actually change TK’s mind about anything. “Okay, but don’t be mad when I’m right and it turns out to be nothing.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” TK teased, pulling Carlos towards a nearby bench and practically shoving him onto it. His fingers were cold against Carlos’ skin as he knelt and rolled up the bottom of Carlos’ jeans.

“Well?”

“It’s starting to swell. You’re an idiot.”


	2. “it’s just my allergies”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Its just my allergies" for tarlos but maybe it's something more than allergies. I'm a sucker for Carlos whump but I love TK whump too so maybe this well inspire you ❤ - anon  
> [prompt list](https://terramous.tumblr.com/post/623673887118557184/whumpster-dumpster-denying-injuryillness)

“There’s really a dog.” 

Carlos couldn’t help the fact that his jaw hung open in surprise. He’d been invited over to the firehouse to have something to eat before Michelle got off shift, but what he hadn’t been expecting was the giant fluffy dog trotting along at Marjan’s heel. 

TK looked over at Carlos, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Yeah..? His name is Buttercup. I’m sure I’ve mentioned him to you before.”

“You have. I didn’t think you guys really had a dog in the firehouse.”

TK put his hands on his hips and pouted. “Why not? You guys have police dogs, we deserve a Buttercup,” he huffed.

“No, no- I-“ Carlos was at a loss for words, the only thing he could focus on was Buttercup’s wagging tail as Marjan offered him a treat. “Can I meet him?” 

“Of course!” TK seized his hand and dragged him over to where Marjan and Buttercup were exchanging affection, Marjan’s hands rubbing the sides of Buttercup’s ribs as he eagerly licked her face. 

“Hi boys,” Marjan laughed around Buttercup’s sloppy kisses. “How can we help you?”

“Carlos wishes to meet our pride and joy.” 

At the sound of TK’s voice, Marjan was all but forgotten by Buttercup. From all of Michelle’s commentary on the affairs of the firehouse, Carlos had learnt that the young Strand was undeniably Buttercup’s favourite. He and Carlos had that in common.

TK was soon swamped in fluff. On his hind legs, Buttercup was almost as tall as TK, his big paws splayed out against the firefighter’s chest to hold himself upright, as he licked TK’s jaw.

It was a lovely sight, TK’s laughter. The way his mouth curved and his eyes scrunched up as his joy erupted from his lips. Carlos could very easily get used to seeing TK happy.

Apparently, TK became boring very quickly as Buttercup turned to face Carlos, his tail furiously swinging back and forth as he stared up at Carlos with warm brown eyes and a very slobbery tongue lolling out of his mouth. 

Carlos quickly placed himself closer to the ground as Buttercup surged upon him. His hands sunk into Buttercup’s unbelievably soft fur, and when he thought his hands wouldn’t go any further, they did.

“The dog to fur ratio is a little off,” Carlos said. Which was a poorly calculated decision as Buttercup seized the opportunity and licked the inside of Carlos’ mouth. 

Sputtering and settling on a disgusted grimace, Carlos glared half-heartedly at TK who was now laughing at him, his whole body arched in his laughter, his hands on his knees as he shook his head smiling. 

This time, Carlos just rested his ear against Buttercup’s shoulder, listening to the dog pant, occasionally licking the back of Carlos’ neck. Buttercup was the perfect size for Carlos to just kneel there with his arms around the dog, dragging his arms through the soft fur.

After a while, TK spoke, “Are you crying?”

Startled, Carlos sniffled a little, not having noticed the tears himself. “It’s just my allergies.”

“You’re not allergic to anything,” Michelle quipped from somewhere out of Carlos’ line of sight. He hadn’t noticed her arrival, too lost in his moment with Buttercup.


	3. “blood? oh, it’s not mine” - paramedic!tk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Blood? Oh, it’s not mine” if you'd be so kind - brilliantbanshee  
> prompt list

Carlos blinked slowly. Stars twinkled overhead and grass tickled his neck. Which was weird, he didn’t remember how he got there, or why he would be lying outside in the first place. Weird. 

“Hey,” TK said, appearing in Carlos’ line of vision. He was in his uniform, even though Carlos could barely read the upside down lettering on TK’s shirt. The uniform raised even more questions. They weren’t at the firehouse and TK was always first to change out of his paramedic uniform at the end of shift, claiming that the material was “too stiff”.

“What?” Carlos tried to sit up, only for TK to hold him firmly in place. 

TK’s hands were on his shoulders, pinning him to the ground. “Don’t move,” he hissed. He was stern, but not angry, like how he was in the field. 

“What happened?” Carlos lifted his head again, trying to see what was going on. “Is anyone hurt?”

TK pressed him back onto the ground and began to card his fingers through Carlos’ hair. “Relax. You’re hurt.”

“What? No I’m not-“ TK was prepared for Carlos’ attempt to move and kept him rooted in place. “What happened?”

“There was an explosion. You got knocked down.”

“What? We gotta help- people could be hurt.”

“Carlos, calm down. The team is here, they’re handling it. I’m worried about you, so sit still and let me make sure you’re okay.” 

“I’m not hurt,” Carlos objected as TK secured a collar around his neck. 

TK ignored him in favour of assaulting his eyes with a penlight. The brief period of brightness was enough to spark up a web of pain from behind Carlos’ eyes to the back of his head. As he blinked away the resulting daze, he caught sight of a red smear on TK’s glove that trailed up to his exposed forearm. 

“I don’t like the look of that. You hit your head pretty hard, we’re gonna get you transported soon, okay? Just hang in there, keep talking to me okay?”

“TK.”

“Yeah?” he hummed. 

“You’re bleeding.”

TK’s eyebrows pinched together. “Blood?” 

Carlos pointedly looked at TK. “Your arm.”

Following Carlos’ gaze, TK offered him a shrug. “Oh. It’s not mine. Your head is bleeding.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Just stay awake for me, okay? I’m almost certain you’ve got a pretty nasty concussion.”

“That’s not good.”

TK chuckled lightly. “Tell me about it.”

“How’s he doing?” Carlos would recognise that voice anywhere.

“Chica~” he drawled, trying to catch sight of her, to no avail.

Michelle was next to him now, taking his hand and offering him a smile while TK fiddled around with something by his head. “Hey, sweetheart. You took quite a spill back there, how are you feeling?”

“I wanna get him transported as soon as we can. I don’t like the look of his head wound,” TK chipped in.

“No, I don’t either,” Michelle said. “How’re you doing, Carlos?”

He smiled up at her. “Pretty great. My head hurts a little, but I have my two favourite people right here.”

Michelle laughed. “Oh yeah, that’s a concussion. I don’t think Carlos Reyes has ever said something so nice to me in his life.”


	4. “i’m good, i promise” 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm good, I promise" cause sure everyone believes that - prodigalleverage

TK didn’t mean to show up on Carlos’ doorstep in the middle of the night. He really didn’t. He didn’t even remember much between leaving the firehouse and knocking on the door in front of him.

It was cold. A biting wind sweeping through his body, pulling the warmth from his core and replacing it with ice. He probably should’ve grabbed a jacket, a solitary t-shirt did him no good.

A chain jingled and the unmistakable sound of a deadbolt broke the silence. The door opened to reveal Carlos, his curls in disarray atop his head as he sluggishly rubbed the haze of sleep from his eyes. 

“TK?” he asked softly, his words slurring together slightly. He had very evidently been asleep only moments ago.

“Hey.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“I- uhhh… I don’t know.”

Carlos was wide awake now, pulling TK inside by the wrist. “You’re soaked. Why the hell were you out in the rain? It’s like 2am.”

“It’s raining?” TK asked, looking down to see glittering droplets scattered across his skin. “Huh, I guess it is.”

There were hands on his face now, cupping his cheeks and bringing his head up to meet Carlos’ worried dark eyes. His palms were hot against TK’s skin. “Are you okay?” Carlos pressed the back of his hand to TK’s forehead. 

“I’m good,” TK offered Carlos a shaky smile, hoping to ease the officer’s nerves, “I promise.” 

“No…” Carlos trailed off, letting go of TK. “I don’t think you are. Did you take anything?” 

“No.” TK was a little blurry on the details that lead him to Carlos’ place at this time of night, but he knew how strictly he was sticking to keeping clean and reaching out when he felt like he couldn’t handle it on his own. Plus, this wasn’t what a high felt like, at least not one he’d ever had before. He felt fine.

“I’m gonna call your dad. Just take a seat for now.”

TK wanted to object, reaffirm that he was _fine,_ but he also knew that Carlos would never budge once he decided that he needed to worry. So he just resigned to walking over to Carlos’ couch.

Or at least he tried to. 

After a few steps, he felt the shift, the upheave of the floorboards racing to meet him. They never connected, a strong grip pulling TK back onto his feet. 

“Okay, you’re definitely not fine.” Carlos’ expression was tight as he guided TK to the couch. He didn’t let go until TK was seated. “Take your shirt off, I’ll get you one of mine to change into. The cold won’t do you any good.” 

As Carlos disappeared into the other room TK grabbed the hem of his shirt. The wet fabric peeled away from his skin, and was heavy in his shaking hands. He couldn’t really feel the material as well as he should have, a numbness dulling his senses, it felt like a stranger was removing the shirt and not him. 

“Hey, this is probably too big on you, but it’ll do-“ Carlos froze in the doorway, an olive green shirt bundled up in his hand. TK was reminded of their disastrous boba date on the day of the solar flare, the way the colour complimented Carlos’ skin tone as he smiled and nodded at TK’s rejection. 

“What?”

“TK, you’re bleeding.”

TK looked down and sure enough, half of his ribcage was covered in scarlet beads mixing with rain to create rose-tinted tracks across his pale skin. There was a deep laceration between the raised surface of two ribs, oozing red. “I guess so.”

“Why didn’t you say you were stabbed?” Carlos’ tone betrayed him, it wasn’t as cool and even as Carlos tended to be in a stressful situation. His voice shook a little and came out a little shaky. 

But being a police officer made Carlos efficient in a crisis. In moments, he had eased TK down so he was lying on his back as Carlos pressed hard on the wound with the bundled up shirt, red eagerly consuming the green of the fabric. Carlos’ phone rested against TK’s sternum as it rang. 

_“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”_


	5. “it’s not that bad” 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> please give us part two to the drabble where tk gets stabbed bc that cliffhanger was just too mean :( - officerrxyes  
> for the prompt “it’s not that bad”

_“Officer Reyes?”_

At the sound of the Captain, Carlos couldn’t even begin to speak and just sobbed heavily into the phone.

_“Carlos, can you tell me what’s wrong?”_ Captain Strand’s voice on the other end of the line was remarkably calm.

Carlos, on the other hand, was not calm. Michelle had left him alone in the waiting room with a sympathetic hug and whispered apology that she had to get back to work. He had stared at the blood coating his hands— TK’s blood— and let the tears fall. 

“TK-“ he was interrupted by his own wheezing sobs. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath.

_“What happened?”_

“I- Fuck.” Carlos struggled to form the words. Voicing them would make it real. He wasn’t ready to face it.

_“Carlos, I need you to tell me what’s going on. Where’s TK? Can you put him on?”_

“Captain,” Carlos begged. Begged to not have to say it.

_“It’s okay, kid. Just breathe, everything will be okay. Walk me through it.”_

“TK- I- He came to my house.” The tears came barreling forward with a vengeance. “Stabbed.”

Even with the partial sentences, Owen understood, _“Are you at the hospital?”_

“Yeah,” Carlos tried to take a deeper breath. The captain’s tone was still level and professional, Carlos couldn’t fathom how he did it.

_“Alright. Everything’s going to be fine, I’m on my way.”_ Carlos could hear the jingle of the captain’s keys. _“Is anyone there with you?”_

“No. Just me, sir.”

_“That’s okay, son. Do you want me to stay on the line?”_

There was an odd comfort to the captain’s presence, even just over the phone. With a few more ragged sobs, Carlos managed a sentence. “He’s going to die, isn’t he?”

_“No, he’s not. It’s going to be okay.”_

💕

“It’s not that bad!” TK huffed, folding his arms across his chest.

_“It’s not that bad,”_ Carlos parroted with exaggerated air quotes. If TK wasn’t currently laid up in a hospital bed and Carlos so relieved to see him awake, Carlos would wring his neck. Having to ride in the back of an ambulance with his unconscious boyfriend was not going down in history for his favourite evening activity. Michelle had tried to reassure him as much as possible, but he watched as TK’s blood dripped onto the floor of the ambulance, creating a puddle of everything Carlos was afraid of. 

“I’m fine.”

“You almost weren’t, TK.” Carlos took a few breaths to steady himself. He couldn’t afford to get emotional right now. They were here for TK. TK who had yet another hole in his chest. Carlos didn’t need to make it about him. “You were stabbed. In the chest. Do I really need to explain how bad that is?”

“I know, okay? But I’m okay now. Four stitches, a couple pints of blood, and I’m good as new.” It was hard to believe, as Carlos was standing in the emergency room at an hour of night that he didn’t want to acknowledge with is boyfriend’s blood drying on his skin. TK wasn’t much better. He was paler than usual on account of bloodloss, and even more washed out by the white hospital gown that concealed the giant piece of gauze taped over his chest. 

“You scared me half to death.”

“Babe…” TK’s gaze softened as the realisation hit him. “I’m sorry.”

Carlos shook his head. “No, you don’t have to apologise. It’s just scary to always be on the other side of these hospital visits.”

“Do they have any idea what happened?”

“They think you were mugged. You had nothing on you when you showed up at my place and Michelle said she saw you leaving the firehouse with your bag. You didn’t go home at all, so there are a few hours unaccounted for,” Carlos explained.

“That makes sense. I don’t know why I don’t remember.”

“The doctors said it was probably a combination of shock and bleeding. You were a little spacey but you seemed fine.” 

“Your eyes are red,” TK noted, not-so-subtly switching the topic. “Were you crying?”

“TK, I thought you were going to die. There was so much blood.”

TK chewed his lip, shifting his eyes to the floor. “Who knows?”

“The entire team. Grace took the call, the 126 responded. So everyone will be here when they can.”

“My dad wasn’t on shift… You didn’t call him, did you?”

“Of course I did. I’m surprised he had any idea what I was saying. He was so calm on the phone, even though I was a mess.”

“Carlos,” TK whined. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Carlos raised a finger to silence him. “In my defense, you were unconscious after being _stabbed_. What was I supposed to do? Not tell him?”


	6. “it’s just a headache”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something for “it’s just a headache” 😘 - theworld-is-out-there

Carlos opened his eyes to darkness. Which, by itself, wasn’t that unheard of. He could feel a pillow under his head and the familiar weight of blankets. So he was at home and in bed, normal. What wasn’t normal was the feeling of white-hot branding irons pressing into his temples. 

The pain took him a little by surprise. It was disorienting, he couldn’t really tell which direction was which. Up and down got muddled in his throbbing head. Carlos reached for his phone, he was not going to make it to his early shift. Where he expected his fingers to connect with a cold screen, his fingertips grazed a freezing cylinder, coming away wet with what was most likely condensation.

He didn’t take water to bed. Weird.

There really wasn’t much to dwell on, he must’ve taken the water to bed to keep hydrated and hopefully ease the pressure buildup inside his head. It didn’t work, but it was the thought that counted.

The crack of light filtering in under the door was even weirder. He would’ve turned all the lights off before going to sleep, he always did. It seemed to continually fade out and brighten like a breath.

Getting into a seated position, let alone standing, was near impossible. The room swayed with every pulse pressing against the walls of his veins. Even just the sound of the sheets rubbing together grated against Carlos’ ears. His joints were weighted, the movements coming slowly as if his limbs were full of sand.

The assault of the light on his eyes as he stepped into the corridor was enough to knock the air from his lungs. A sharp stabbing lit up across his head like he was tangled in christmas lights. He quickly opted to just stand there with his eyes closed, he had to find his phone, but he wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and sink into a blissful oblivion.

“Carlos? What are you doing out of bed?” TK’s voice was soft, careful not to agitate Carlos’ already unbearable condition, but it still incited a burst of pain at the base of his skull.

“I’m fine,” he grit out. “It’s just a headache.”

“Sweetheart, you’re swaying. Let’s get you back to bed, okay?”

“Have to call in,” Carlos objected, not that he had any idea how he was going to achieve that since he still hadn’t found the strength to open his eyes again.

“I already did. All you have to do is get some rest.” TK took Carlos’ hand in his own, the other on Carlos’ shoulder as he steered the officer back the way he had come. 

As TK helped Carlos into the bed, Carlos found himself reaching out for TK, urging him to lie down. 

“Carlos, you’ll probably sleep better on your own. I’ll be out in the living room if you need me.”

“No,” Carlos mumbled into the pillow under his head. “Want you.”

TK chuckled lightly and the mattress dipped. Carlos wasted no time in latching onto TK as he settled his head in the firefighter’s lap. 

Chuckling, TK began to card his fingers through Carlos’ hair in a soft rhythmic motion. Carlos easily drifted off to the sound of TK’s breathing.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Picturesque - Holding Me Down


End file.
